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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Today I completed my 2nd 10K and my 3rd race overall! The inaugural Armed Forces Community Run, held at Peterson AFB, was a 5K/10K for military members and civilians alike, and was run simultaneously at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and Thumrait Air Base in Oman. After seeing advertisements for it at the PAFB PFC [read: "gym"], I knew as a future airman I had to participate.

FIL was supposed to cheer me on, but he ended up not feeling well at the last minute. I woke up early, put on all of my gear that I'd laid out the night before, and set out for the base. I was there really early, so I followed the lead of others and stayed in my car wrapped up in a blanket - it was 37°! I was in my shorts, short-sleeved shirt, and arm warmers, with just a fleece jacket. I was debating whether or not to ditch my fleece, and I did in favor of my gloves.

There was a good turnout, and a diverse crowd. There were some very obvious competitive runners, a few folks with dogs, a couple of jogging strollers, and the rest of us. The event was well organized and the volunteers were positioned along the route so you didn't deviate. The base is pretty flat, so hills weren't a concern this time, which was nice. There was only an itty bitty hill near the golf course, but I still caught people walking along the route.

I ran right by my recruiter's office, but no one was outside to watch me go by. Oh well, I'll be there tomorrow for my last DEP meeting! I felt pretty strong throughout the entire run, and I checked my Garmin constantly to keep myself motivated. I never even thought walking, and made pretty good times. My first mile clocked at 8:30! I slowed my pacing after that, but I kept it consistent (aside from that mile with the hill).

As I closed in on the finish line, I hammed it up for the camera, showing off my "BMT Bound in 17 Days!" bib decoration. A friend on FB said it looked like I was wearing elbow-length gloves in these photos. :) Overall, I finished in 57:55 with an average pace of 9:40. I met my current reigning goals for a 10K - keep it under an hour, with a sub-10 pace.

The ideas expressed within this blog are not endorsed by the Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, or the Air Force Reserve. The thoughts and experiences described are my own, unless otherwise directly stated and referenced.